Chantal van den Broek-Blaak wins women's Tour of Flanders
Boels Dolmans take 1-2 with Amy Pieters in second
Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (Boels Dolmans) has won the women's Tour of Flanders. Attacking on the Oude Kwaremont 19 kilometres from the finish, Van den Broek-Blaak went solo and held off a chasing group to the finish in no small part due to the work of her teammates who disrupted the chase.
Amy Pieters concluded a great day for Boels Dolmans by winning the sprint for second place ahead of Lotte Kopecky (Lotto Soudal).
“I feel very happy, I was waiting the whole season for this moment. I have thought about this race for a long time and now I finally have it,” said van den Broek-Blaak.
“When I was still ahead after the Paterberg, I thought I could win if they started to look at each other behind. I heard on the radio that Anna [van der Breggen] and Amy were in the group behind me and knew they would cover the moves well. I only had to keep riding as hard as possible.”
How it unfolded
Fifteen kilometres into the 135.6km race, a break of seven riders went away and built a gap of up to 3:45 minutes. Two of the escapees lost contact early on, but the remaining five continued to lead the race for a long time. Several times, small chase groups sat in between the front group and the peloton, but none of them lasted long.
In the peloton, it was Boels Dolmans’ world champion Anna van der Breggen who set a hard pace on the Kanarieberg with 45km to go, reducing the size of the group as well as the gap to the break. Five kilometres later, the breakaway was caught on the lower slopes of the Taaienberg. Demi Vollering (Parkhotel Valkenburg) tried to get away but was quickly reeled in by Van der Breggen.
The next move came from Riejanne Markus (CCC-Liv) who was followed by Alena Amialiusik (Canyon-SRAM). Together, the two riders built an advantage of 52 seconds as they started the Kruisberg-Hotond with 30km to go.
Van der Breggen led the peloton on the cobbled Kruisberg, reducing the group further, and Van den Broek-Blaak launched an attack right after the top, into the asphalted Hotond climb. She quickly had Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo), Lisa Brennauer (Ceratizit-WNT) and Van der Breggen in her wheel, and though things came back together, this spelled the end of the breakaway of Markus and Amialiusik.
Van den Broek-Blaak made another attempt to get away, and when she was reeled in, Annemiek van Vleuten (Mitchelton-Scott) put in her trademark attack. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) tried to follow but had to leave a gap over the top of the Hotond, and Van Vleuten quickly got a sizable advantage.
In the descent, Van der Breggen went on the chase alone. When she eventually bridged to Van Vleuten, she refused to take any turns, allowing the following group to close the 15-second gap.
17 riders entered the Oude Kwaremont together, with Brennauer and Van Vleuten in the lead. As the road flattened out near the top, Van den Broek-Blaak accelerated in the saddle to make another attack. Vollering and Brennauer tried to get in her wheel, but just missed the moment, and Van den Broek-Blaak had a five-second advantage as she turned off the climb.
On the way to the Paterberg, eleven riders were left to chase her, two of whom were her teammates. On the Paterberg, Van Vleuten did another acceleration, as did Longo Borghini, but the chase group went over the top of the final climb together, 20 seconds behind Van den Broek-Blaak.
With Van der Breggen and Pieters disrupting the chase behind, Van den Broek-Blaak could extend her advantage to 1:01 minutes at the finish, celebrating her first Tour of Flanders victory in her eleventh participation.
In the group behind, there were attacks from Grace Brown (Mitchelton-Scott), Van Vleuten, Uttrup Ludwig, and Floortje Mackaij (Team Sunweb), but none of them were able to get away, and Pieters won the sprint for second place ahead of Kopecky and Brennauer.
Pos. | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Chantal Van den Broek-Blaak (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam | 3:29:57 |
2 | Amy Pieters (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam | 0:01:01 |
3 | Lotte Kopecky (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies | |
4 | Lisa Brennauer (Ger) Ceratizit-WNT Pro | |
5 | Sarah Roy (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women | |
6 | Alena Amialiusik (Blr) Canyon-Sram Racing | |
7 | Demi Vollering (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg | |
8 | Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo Women | |
9 | Lauren Stephens (USA) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank | |
10 | Marta Cavalli (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service | |
11 | Anna Van der Breggen (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam | |
12 | Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Team Sunweb Women | |
13 | Riejanne Markus (Ned) CCC-Liv | |
14 | Grace Brown (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women | |
15 | Annemiek Van Vleuten (Ned) Mitchelton-Scott Women | |
16 | Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope | |
17 | Ellen Van Dijk (Ned) Trek-Segafredo Women | 0:04:15 |
18 | Jolien Dhoore (Bel) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam | |
19 | Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women | 0:05:28 |
20 | Amalie Dideriksen (Den) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam | 0:05:58 |
21 | Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service | |
22 | Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro | |
23 | Julie Leth (Den) Ceratizit-WNT Pro | |
24 | Barbara Guarischi (Ita) Movistar Team Women | |
25 | Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service | |
26 | Arianna Fidanza (Ita) Lotto Soudal Ladies | |
27 | Elena Cecchini (Ita) Canyon-Sram Racing | |
28 | Eugénie Duval (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope | |
29 | Stine Borgli (Nor) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope | |
30 | Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) CCC-Liv | |
31 | Kristen Faulkner (USA) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank | |
32 | Chloe Hosking (Aus) Rally Cycling Women | |
33 | Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team Sunweb Women | |
34 | Hanna Nilsson (Swe) Parkhotel Valkenburg | |
35 | Nicole Steigenga (Ned) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport | |
36 | Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Canyon-Sram Racing | |
37 | Anouska Koster (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg | |
38 | Nancy Van der Burg (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg | |
39 | Soraya Paladin (Ita) CCC-Liv | |
40 | Brodie Chapman (Aus) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope | |
41 | Abby-Mae Parkinson (GBr) Lotto Soudal Ladies | |
42 | Alison Jackson (Can) Team Sunweb Women | |
43 | Diana Klimova (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro | |
44 | Jeanne Korevaar (Ned) CCC-Liv | |
45 | Coryn Rivera (USA) Team Sunweb Women | |
46 | Hannah Barnes (GBr) Canyon-Sram Racing | |
47 | Audrey Cordon Ragot (Fra) Trek-Segafredo Women | |
48 | Jelena Eric (Srb) Movistar Team Women | |
49 | Lily Williams (USA) Rally Cycling Women | 0:06:04 |
50 | Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service | 0:06:06 |
51 | Liane Lippert (Ger) Team Sunweb Women | |
52 | Amanda Spratt (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women | |
53 | Teuntje Beekhuis (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies | 0:09:13 |
54 | Vita Heine (Nor) Hitec Products-Birk Sport | 0:10:04 |
55 | Iuliia Galimullina (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro | 0:10:07 |
56 | Valeriya Kononenko (Ukr) Ciclotel | |
57 | Céline Van Houtum (Ned) Multum Accountants-LSK Ladies | |
58 | Aigul Gareeva (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro | |
59 | Sara Van de Vel (Bel) Ciclotel | |
60 | Danique Braam (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies | |
61 | Nina Kessler (Ned) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank | |
62 | Fien Van Eynde (Bel) Doltcini - Van Eyck- Proximus Continental Team | |
63 | Marit Raaijmakers (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg | |
64 | Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) CCC-Liv | |
65 | Edwige Pitel (Fra) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro | |
66 | Maëlle Grossetete (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope | |
67 | Christine Majerus (Lux) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam | |
68 | Christina Schweinberger (Aut) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport | |
69 | Sarah Rijkes (Aut) Ceratizit-WNT Pro | |
70 | Emily Newsom (USA) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank | |
71 | Emma White (USA) Rally Cycling Women | |
72 | Chiara Consonni (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service | |
73 | Gloria Rodriguez Sanchez (Spa) Movistar Team Women | |
74 | Laura Asencio (Fra) Ceratizit-WNT Pro | |
75 | Alicia Gonzalez Blanco (Spa) Movistar Team Women | |
76 | Emilia Fahlin (Swe) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope | |
77 | Heidi Franz (USA) Rally Cycling Women | |
78 | Alice Barnes (GBr) Canyon-Sram Racing | |
79 | Kylie Waterreus (Ned) Multum Accountants-LSK Ladies | 0:10:57 |
DNF | Sharlotte Lucas (NZl) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank | |
DNF | Alexis Ryan (USA) Canyon-Sram Racing | |
DNF | Elizabeth Deignan (GBr) Trek-Segafredo Women | |
DNF | Sara Poidevin (Can) Rally Cycling Women | |
DNF | Evy Kuijpers (Ned) CCC-Liv | |
DNF | Leah Dixon (GBr) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank | |
DNF | Alba Teruel Ribes (Spa) Movistar Team Women | |
DNF | Tayler Wiles (USA) Trek-Segafredo Women | |
DNF | Franziska Koch (Ger) Team Sunweb Women | |
DNF | Silvia Pollicini (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service | |
DNF | Hanna Johansson (Swe) Multum Accountants-LSK Ladies | |
DNF | Lara Defour (Bel) Multum Accountants-LSK Ladies | |
DNF | Anna Badegruber (Aut) Multum Accountants-LSK Ladies | |
DNF | Marieke Van Witzenburg (Ned) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport | |
DNF | Julie Stockman (Bel) Multum Accountants-LSK Ladies | |
DNF | Kathrin Schweinberger (Aut) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport | |
DNF | Mieke Docx (Bel) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport | |
DNF | Alice Sharpe (Irl) Ciclotel | |
DNF | Olha Kulynych (Ukr) Ciclotel | |
DNF | Imogen Cotter (Irl) Ciclotel | |
DNF | Pernille Larsen Feldmann (Nor) Hitec Products-Birk Sport | |
DNF | Gracie Elvin (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women | |
DNF | Mireia Benito Pellicer (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team | |
DNF | Mieke Kröger (Ger) Hitec Products-Birk Sport | |
DNF | Trixi Worrack (Ger) Trek-Segafredo Women | |
DNF | Noemi Rüegg (Swi) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro | |
DNF | Lea Lin Teutenberg (Ger) Ceratizit-WNT Pro | |
DNF | Silje Mathisen (Nor) Hitec Products-Birk Sport | |
DNF | Greta Richioud (Fra) Hitec Products-Birk Sport | |
DNF | Lucy Van der Haar (GBr) Hitec Products-Birk Sport | |
DNF | Jesse Vandenbulcke (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies | |
DNF | Romy Kasper (Ger) Parkhotel Valkenburg | |
DNF | Belen Lopez Morales (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team | |
DNF | Isabel Martin Martin (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team | |
DNF | Patricia Ortega Ruiz (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team | |
DNF | Gabrielle Pilote-Fortin (Can) Massi Tactic Women Team | |
DNF | Mireia Trias Jordan (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team | |
DNF | Jessica Allen (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women |
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Lukas Knöfler started working in cycling communications in 2013 and has seen the inside of the scene from many angles. Having worked as press officer for teams and races and written for several online and print publications, he has been Cyclingnews’ Women’s WorldTour correspondent since 2018.
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